02/02/10

Venues Announced for 2010 New York Jazz Festival

Newport and NYC festivals revived for summer 2010

Details for the New York Jazz Festival were announced recently, along with dates for the venerable Newport Jazz Festival. Presented by leading global medical device company CareFusion and jazz impresario George Wein, the two formerly failing festivals have been revived and are sure to bring excitement to this summer’s jazz scene.

After the New York Jazz Festival was cancelled last year for the first time in its 37 year history due to economic difficulties of The Festival Network, George Wein—the founder and original presenter of the festival going back to the days of Newport and Kool—stepped in with the sponsorship of CareFusion, and vowed to restore the festival in 2010. The Newport festival was also slated to be canceled in 2009, but with the support of his longtime staffers and allies, Wein, under the aegis of his new company New Festival Productions, managed to resurrect the Newport event.

The New York Jazz Festival, produced by Wein, begins on June 17 and continues through June 26, blanketing the city with concerts. Venues include: Carnegie Hall, City Parks Foundation’s Central Park SummerStage, Crotona Park in the Bronx, City Winery, Harlem Stage Gatehouse, The Jazz Gallery, Jazz Standard, Le Poisson Rouge, Louis Armstrong House Museum, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Peter Norton Symphony Space, Prospect Park Bandshell: Celebrate Brooklyn, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Studio Museum in Harlem and The Town Hall. Most shows will be priced between $15 and $20, and updates on participating artists will be announced at a later date. More information can be found at CareFusion or NYC Jazz.

Returning to Rhode Island, the CareFusion Newport Jazz Festival, which drew 13,000 attendees last year, is slated for August 6 - 8. The first Newport Jazz Festival, produced by Wein in 1954, began what has come to be called the “festival era” and advanced the concept of live music. Wein, 84, continues to perform with his band, the Newport Jazz Festival All-Stars.

“CareFusion’s continued sponsorship of jazz, including the long-standing event in Newport and now bringing back the festival in New York, is nothing short of a miracle,” said Wein in a recent press release. “Since 1972, fans have been enjoying this celebration of artistic excellence. With CareFusion’s exemplary support for the arts, it reinforces how companies are tying education and community engagement into their business practices.”